Telecommunication networks provide the connectivity required for computers and other data processing devices to communicate with each other over potentially expansive distances. As the number of participants in these networks increases and the performance and reliable operation of such networks become critical to the needs of its participants, it is expected that the complexity of these networks will also increase. For example, high-availability networks enabling users to access business/time-critical data and resources typically include redundant circuits and components (e.g., routers, switches, bridges, hubs, multiplexers, transport cables, etc.), so that a rapid failover can be effectuated before adversely affecting user operations.
Network administrators typically rely on network management software to monitor telecommunication networks, to provide sufficient information to reconfigure network and computer resources in view of changing user demands, and to troubleshoot network degradations, failures, and other trouble areas, so that the overall network availability remains commercially viable. Unfortunately, operation of the network management software typically requires a highly skilled network administrator who may have to query and sift through a large amount of information generated by numerous network devices of the telecommunications network to distinguish, for example, between random and non-random outages that may be indicative of various types of fault patterns. Fault patterns can include, for example, acute fault patterns, where network devices and their components and interconnections experience a relatively large number of outages during a particular time period, and chronic fault patterns, where sporadic outages occur irregularly. Accordingly, a continuing need exists to improve upon the usability of network management software and to, thus, ultimately improve upon network availability.